Background information—Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security: Study on gun violence (December 16, 2021)

SECU Committee overview

Committee Members: At a glance

About the Committee

SECU was created on April 5, 2006, at the start of the 39th Parliament. The Committee is responsible for one of the largest departmental portfolios, including close to 140 statutes administered by the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and its agencies, including the CBSA.

Committee Mandate

SECU reviews the legislation, policies, programs and expenditure plans of government departments and agencies responsible for public safety and national security, policing and law enforcement, corrections and conditional release of federal offenders, emergency management, crime prevention and the protection of Canada's borders.

The Standing Orders of the House of Commons provide that the committee may review and report on:

• Legislation proposed by the government or Members of Parliament
• Immediate, medium- and long-term expenditure plans, and the effectiveness of their implementation by the department
• An analysis of the relative success of the relevant department, as measured by the results obtained as compared with its stated objectives
• Other matters relating to the mandate, management, organization, or operation of the department in question, as the Committee deems fit

The committee examines the policies, programs and statutes relating to the following departments and agencies:

• Public Safety Canada (PS)
• Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)
• Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)
• Correctional Service Canada (CSC)
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
• Parole Board of Canada (PBC)
• Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (CRCC)
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police External Review Committee (ERC)
• Office of the Correctional Investigator (OCI)

CBSA-related Committee activity

The CBSA appeared at SECU 5 times over the course of the 43rd Parliament (December 2019 to August 2021):

• 3 appearances occurred as a result of SECU's consideration of the Public Safety Portfolio's estimates (February 2020, November 2020, and March 2021)
• 1 appearance on the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness' 2019 Mandate Letter (November 2020)
• 1 appearance on the Security of COVID-19 Designated Quarantine Facilities (March 2021)

Current study (Gun control, illegal arms trafficking and the increase in gun crimes committed by members of street gangs)

On December 7, 2021, the House of Commons unanimously adopted the following Bloc Québécois motion:

That, given the increase in gun violence and the numerous deadly shootings in the streets of Montreal and the metropolitan area in recent weeks, and notwithstanding any standing order, special order or usual practice of the House:

1. the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security be instructed to undertake as a priority a study on gun control, illegal arms trafficking and the increase in gun crimes committed by members of street gangs
2. the members to serve on the committee be appointed by the whip of each recognized party depositing with the Clerk of the House a list of his or her party's members before the adjournment of the House
3. the Clerk of the House shall convene a meeting of the committee on a priority basis no later than Wednesday, December 8, 2021
4. the Minister of Public Safety, as well as representatives of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, appear before the committee as witnesses for a period of three hours each as the committee sees fit

Other anticipated business

Establishing a list of future committee business

Committee Members

The Honourable Jim Carr (Chair)

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Winnipeg South Centre, Manitoba

Profession/Occupation: MPP, businessman

Political experience:

• First elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019 and 2021
• Former Minister of:
  • Natural Resources (November 2015 to July 2018)
  • International Trade Diversification (July 2018 to November 2019)
  • Special Representative for the Prairies (January 2021 to October 2021)

Raquel Dancho (First Vice-Chair)

Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Kildonan—St. Paul, Manitoba
Shadow Minister for Public Safety (since November 2021)

Profession/Occupation: Political staffer, Politician

Political experience:

• First elected in 2019 and re-elected in 2021
• Former Shadow Minister for:
  • Diversity, Inclusion and Youth (November 2019 to September 2020)
  • Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (September 2020 to February 2021)
  • Future Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion (February 2021 to November 2021)

Kristina Michaud (Second Vice-Chair)

Political affiliation: Bloc Québécois
Constituency: Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, Quebec
Critic for Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Climate Change, Youth (since 2019)

• Profession/Occupation: Political staffer
• Riding includes Port of Matane (marine, commercial)

Political experience:

• First elected in 2019 and re-elected in 2021
• Long-time member (February 2020 to present) and Vice Chair of SECU (October 2020 to present)

Paul Chiang

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Markham—Unionville, Ontario
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion (Diversity and Inclusion) (since November 2021)

Profession/Occupation: Retired police officer (GTA)
Political experience: First elected in 2021

Pam Damoff

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Oakville North—Burlington, Ontario
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety (since November 2021)

Profession/Occupation: Investment banker, consultant

Political experience:

• First elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019 and 2021
• Former Parliamentary Secretary to the:
  • Minister of Health (February 2019 to September 2019)
  • Minister of Indigenous Services (December 2019 to August 2021)
• Long-time Member of SECU (January 2016 to present)

Dane Lloyd

Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Sturgeon River—Parkland, Alberta
Shadow Minister for Emergency Preparedness (since November 2021)

• Profession/Occupation: Politician
• Riding includes Villeneuve Airport (airport of entry)
  "service suspended until further notice"

Political experience:

• First elected in 2017 and re-elected in 2019 and 2021
• Former Shadow Minister for:
  • Digital Government (September 2020 to February 2021)
  • Rural Economic Development (February 2021 to November 2021)

Alistair MacGregor

Political affiliation: New Democratic Party of Canada
Constituency: Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, British Columbia
Critic for Public Safety (since November 2021), Agriculture and Food (since 2018); Deputy Critic for Justice (since 2017)

• Profession/Occupation: Political staffer
• Riding is on Canada-U.S. marine border
• Riding includes Duncan Airport (airport of entry) "service suspended until further notice" and several marine, commercial points of service

Political experience:

• First elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019 and 2021
• Former critic for:
  • Seniors (November 2015 to February 2017)
  • Heritage (Deputy) (November 2015 to December 2019)

Ron McKinnon

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, British Columbia

Profession/Occupation: Computer Systems Analyst

Political experience:

• First elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019 and 2021
• Former Chair of the Standing Committee on Heath (January 2020 to August 2021)

Taleeb Noormohamed

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Vancouver Granville, British Columbia

Profession/Occupation: Former public servant with PS and PCO, member of the Board of directors for the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA), technology executive

Political experience: Defeated in 2011 and 2019, first elected in 2021

Doug Shipley

Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, Ontario

Profession/Occupation: Politician, Small business owner

Political experience:

• First elected in 2019 and re-elected in 2021
• Former Member of SECU (February 2020 to August 2021)

Potential key interests: Barrie opioid crisis

Tako Van Popta

Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Langley—Aldergrove, Alberta

• Profession/Occupation: Lawyer
• Riding includes one of the four British Columbia Lower Mainland ports of entry

Political experience:

• First elected in 2019 and re-elected in 2021
• Long-time Member of SECU (October 2020 to present)

Sameer Zuberi

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Pierrefonds—Dollard, Quebec

Profession/Occupation: Canadian Forces reservist, student and human rights activist

Political experience: First elected in 2019 and re-elected 2021